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No Mercy RunDown: Goodbye, Ziggler?

Are you ready for some No Mercy action? We’re just days away from the Blue Brand’s second PPV outing and what better way to celebrate that than by analyzing each match on the card? Seeing how successful Backlash was, SmackDown Live better keep their momentum going with this one. Just a quick reminder, I got 4/5 on my Backlash predictions, so I’m feeling good about this one. Let the fearless forecast begin!

WWE World Championship

Dean Ambrose vs John Cena vs AJ Styles (c)

AJ Styles’ first defense is a big one. Not only does he have to deal with a faux lunatic, but he has to deal with the guy he beat at SummerSlam. I like how these three men have their own sets of reasons to be in this match. Styles wants to prove he’s the very best in the WWE by beating two of the great names the company can offer. John Cena is looking to make history by tying Ric Flair’s record. Ambrose wants to reclaim the title that made him a dick and settle his beef with Cena at the same time. You can even forgive the fact that Cena didn’t even earn a title shot since he made us care about him winning. It’s going to be a chaotic match come Sunday and there’s only one winner that makes sense.

Who will walk out as champion? AJ Styles, definitely. The way they built this match was superb, but it made the champion the third wheel to the giant egos of Ambrose and Cena. The Phenomenal One must win and he must win clean. It makes sense since Styles can boost his already cocky personality with a decisive victory. Plus, this will be the perfect time to start the Ambrose-Cena war. Everybody wins.

Intercontinental Championship - Ziggler’s career is on the line

Dolph Ziggler vs The Miz (c)

This is the most emotionally-charged match on the card and it will definitely steal the show. The Miz and Dolph Ziggler have done a great job antagonizing each other. Their awesome promos made this angle the hottest story in the WWE right now, especially their segment this week which was just great. If you didn’t see it, you missed one of the best heel acts on SmackDown Live. This match-up also creates an interesting dilemma if you’re a big fan of both men: do you want to see Ziggler end Mike’s never-ending title reign or do you want Miz to retire the Show-Off?

How will this match end? If you’ve heard the rumors, you’ll be inclined to believe that Ziggler will lose. I’ll counter that by predicting Dolph Ziggler will win the Intercontinental Championship and reset his career. I know it’s way too early to end Miz’s reign of terror, but this is the perfect opportunity to push Ziggler back to the stratosphere and be SmackDownLive’s no. 2 babyface. The Miz can gain back the IC title any time.

SmackDown Women’s Championship

Alexa Bliss vs Becky Lynch (c)

Great things come in small packages. That’s basically a good way to describe Alexa Bliss. The shortest female competitor in the roster reinvented herself by cosplaying Harley Quinn, and hey, it got her over. They even gave her a mean streak to compensate for her chibi size. This doesn’t really hurt Becky Lynch that much either and I believe this will only make Becky’s victory much sweeter on Sunday.

Who will take the gold? As I said, Becky Lynch will definitely retain her title at No Mercy. She will prove to everyone once and for all that she deserves to be the Blue Women’s Champion. She’ll probably give another Becky Balboa speech but that’s fine, I guess. They can keep this rivalry going, if they want. I don’t mind seeing Alexa Bliss with the title, though.

SmackDown Tag Team Championship

The Usos (Jey and Jimmy Uso) vs. Heath Slater & Rhyno (c)

Compared to the hype the Piso tag team tournament got at Backlash, this rivalry was poorly built. All we know is that The Usos are bad guys now and they got a new broody entrance. Creative didn’t really capitalize on the support Heath Slater got during his free agent gimmick and just kept him on the side while they groomed The Usos as the top heel tag team. Slater could’ve been the redneck hero or something and Rhyno would have been his Rosey. That may be a stupid idea, but at least I’m thinking.

Is this the end for SlayNo? I say no, give Beauty and The Man-Beast a chance. This duo got themselves over even before they won the SmackDown Tag Team Championship. Why not use them more often? I know The Usos look cool and all as heels, but I think they don’t need the tag titles right now. Let them feud with SlayNo for a while.Randy Orton vs Bray Wyatt

Well guys, this is finally happening. I thought they wouldn't find another way to make this rivalry interesting again, but Creative did a great job refreshing the angle. Randy Orton got to play mind games with the Eater of Worlds, but this week, we saw Bray Wyatt seek the help of Sister Abigail. My interest with this match instantly came back. Will Sister Abigail aid Bray once again on Sunday? Now that Erick Rowan is injured and Luke Harper will be on RAW, Bray needs a new enforcer. I really hope she’ll make an appearance at No Mercy.

Who will become the predator? Just like last time, I will firmly suggest that Bray Wyatt must win at No Mercy. He really needs the win, especially after his loss against Kane at Backlash. I don’t really care how he wins. If Sister Abigail will help him in some way, that’s fine. If he wins clean, that would be better. The point is, Bray Wyatt must be the predator.

Nikki Bella vs Carmella

After weeks of suffering from sneak attacks, Nikki Bella will finally get a chance to face Carmella one-on-one. The Staten Island Princess has managed to gain the upper hand on this rivalry by constantly besting Nikki in tag matches. Now that no one will be in her corner, can Carmella still get the win? I actually enjoy this storyline. I’m just glad it’s not a triad or a tag team war of some sorts.

Will Nikki get her revenge? I think it’s about time Nikki Bella punished Carmella for everything she’s done. Carmella already has impressive victories over Nikki, it’s time to balance it out a bit. Maybe it’s time we pit these women to the other gals. Maybe have Carmella gun for Becky’s title?

Kick-Off Match

Jack Swagger vs Baron Corbin

Baron Corbin is officially the Kick-Off King. This time around, he’ll be facing Jack Swagger. Okay, I guess? After their screwy match this week, I have a feeling Baron Corbin will win via another screwy finish. I don’t really care. Just let Corbin hit the End of Days and I’ll cheer for him anyway.

Bonus: Curt Hawkins vs ???

It’s Kane. It’s obviously Kane. Or not, maybe they will actually push the guy a little and let him be the modern-day Santino Marella. That would be nice. The Curt Hawkins vignettes kinda grow on you a little. But I’m sure Kane will just chokeslam the facts out of him.

*****

No Mercy is definitely a must-watch. Forgive the fact that some storylines were not built properly, I have a feeling No Mercy will still be as successful as Backlash. As far as my prediction streak goes, I believe it will be far from over.

Photos from WWE.com

*****

Ricky Jay Publico (@HarambeMustLive) is a wrestling fan who enjoys watching high flyers and brawlers battle it out in the ring. A known Botchamania binge-watcher, he claims to have memorized the chronological order of Royal Rumble winners, but fails to remember who won in 2004. He writes stories about life and nonsense.